Embers Avenue

Embers Avenue

The club's exterior in 2014
Embers Avenue Location in Portland, Oregon
Location	Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates	45.52398°N 122.67725°W / 45.52398; -122.67725
Type	Gay bar nightclub
Opened	1969
Closed	2017

The Embers Avenue, also known as Embers,^[1] was a gay bar and nightclub located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Embers hosted a variety of events, including comedy and drag shows, karaoke, and live music.^[2] The club opened in 1969,^[3] and closed in late 2017.^[4][5][6] The Oregonian reported in late November 2017 that the building owner has intentions to fill the space with a similar venue.^[7] It was speculated in January 2018 that Badlands was expected to open that year.^[8][9]

Reception

Donald Olson, writing for Frommer's, rated the venue as two out of three stars. He described the club as a primarily gay disco also appealing to straight people, with "lots of flashing lights and sweaty bodies until the early morning".^[10]

References

1. Dresbeck, Rachel (March 18, 2014). Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon (8 ed.). Globe Pequot. p. 86. ISBN 9780762791897. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
2. "The Embers Avenue". Downtown Portland and the Downtown Portland Marketing Initiative. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
3. "One of Portland's oldest, largest gay bars is closing". Daily Vanguard. Portland State University. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
4. "Thursday is the final night to dance at Embers, one of Portland's last gay dance clubs". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
5. "Portland's Embers Avenue closing after nearly 50 years". KOIN. November 30, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
6. Wilson, Jamie. "Iconic gay night club Embers closing its doors in Portland". KPTV. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
7. "Portland club Embers to be replaced with similar dance venue, according to building owner". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
8. "Downtown Portland Will Get New Gay Dance Club in Former Embers Space". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
9. "New gay dance club to take over former Embers Avenue space". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
10. Olson, Donald. "The Embers Avenue in Portland OR - Nightlife | Frommer's". www.frommers.com. Frommers. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-17. Though primarily a gay disco, Embers is also popular with straights. It's a big, sprawling place with lots of flashing lights on the dance floor and sweaty bodies going until the early morning.

External links

• Media related to Embers Avenue at Wikimedia Commons
• The Embers Avenue at The Portland Mercury
• Sexy space music by Andrea Vedder (May 4, 2010), Daily Vanguard